This post is sponsored by McCormick® but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Ahh, childhood memories of gingerbread are some of the sweetest in my life – both the taste and aroma evokes those holiday “feels” of comfort, togetherness and well-being . . . with a pinch of anticipatory excitement. I’m also a sucker for any type of warm fruit dessert. So, with a twist on tradition, I’ve created a holiday dessert offering it all — Hasselback Baked Pears with Gingerbread Streusel. It’s also gluten-free and Paleo, if those are dietary concerns. 

The yummy blend of McCormick® spices used to create the gingerbread streusel topping also upgrades any morning coffee routine with festive flair – I’ve also included the how-to for a quickie Gingerbread Latte, read on to get the holiday recipes:

Hasselback Baked Pears with Gingerbread Streusel is an amazing holiday dessert recipe on so many levels. It tastes familiarly of pie, but without the traditional crust, plus it is gluten-free and lower carb. Pears are such a lovely cool-weather fruit and I definitely suggest the use a firmer pear, like Bosc, for the recipe so that the baked fruit holds shape. Those succulent, gold-wrapped pears that arrive in holiday gift baskets are typically Comice pears and, while absolutely heavenly, will be too soft.

The easy gingerbread streusel that is stuffed between the Hasselback layers of pears is buttery, sweet and spicy with the traditional gingerbread spices – cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves.

Dropping into my local H-E-B to pick up McCormick® herbs, spices, extracts and gravy products I need for the season is a holiday ritual. With a head-spinning array of herbs and spices, so I am so happy H-E-B organizes the display in alphabetical order!

I freshen up my dried herbs and ground spices once every year or two, so my holiday recipes have maximum flavor. FYI, dried herbs and ground spices will quickly lose their pizzazz if not stored in a dim, dry pantry, away from heat and sunlight. So, take note! But one spice I ALWAYS go through quickly is McCormick® Ground Cinnamon, I use it in baked goods, oatmeal, smoothies, yogurt and more – it tastes great and is said to have benefits for the athlete, including anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce pain, inflammation, and post-workout soreness. 

One of the biggest tips I have for cutting produce (whether pear or potato) in the Swedish style of “Hasselback” is to use chopsticks or pencils to buffer the knife from making a complete sever while slicing down into approximate ¼-inch crosswise-cuts. The pear needs to hold together in one piece for serving, so keeping it connected on the bottom is key. 

Hasselback Baked Pears with Gingerbread Streusel bakes for about 30 minutes in the oven, before removing, stuffing with the holiday spiced streusel, and sticking under the broiler until browning and crispy.

Serve Hasselback Baked Pears with Gingerbread Streusel with a vanilla ice cream or yogurt of your choice, dairy-free inf needed. The cold vanilla treat is a delicious pairing with the warm peaches and the holiday spices from McCormick® – McCormick® Cinnamon McCormick® Cloves, McCormick® Nutmeg, McCormick® Ginger, and McCormick® Allspice.

Another delicious way to use this same medley of McCormick® Spices is in morning coffee! I mix up a small mason jar of the gingerbread spices to have on hand all season and then add a half tablespoon to my coffee and milk. Try it! 

In small jar or plastic baggie, mix together: 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon, 2 tbsp. ground allspice, 1 tbsp. ground ginger, 1 tbsp. ground cloves and 1 tbsp. ground nutmeg. Add approximately ½ teaspoon to cup of coffee. Keep in pantry, in airtight container, for up to 2 years.

McCormick® has been providing a global array of herbs, spices, extracts and other holiday cooking essentials for more than 100 years! I was lucky enough to know my great-grandmother, and can clearly remember her cupboard of McCormick® spices and her patience in explaining my incessant queries about their use. I’m so happy that McCormick® and H-E-B can help me carry on my twists on tradition!

What is your favorite spice? Favorite herb? Do you have a signature holiday dish or drink? Please share in the comments – XOXO, Jennifer

McCormick® – McCormick® Ground Cinnamon McCormick® Ground Cloves, McCormick® Ground Nutmeg, McCormick® Ground Ginger, and McCormick® Ground Allspice.

5 from 12 votes

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Hasselback Baked Pears with Gingerbread Streusel

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

This delicious fruit dessert recipe is a great option to pie and is flavorful and aromatic with gingerbread spices. Paleo and gluten-free.

Course: Dessert

Keyword: dessert, gingerbread, gluten free, holiday, paleo, pears, pie

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 bosc pears peeled, halved and core removed with a melon scooper
• 4 ounces  organic grass-fed butter (or can substitute coconut oil)
• 1/2 cup coconut or date sugar
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/3 cup almond meal
• 1 tsp. McCormick®  Ground Cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. McCormick®  Ground Allspice
• 1/2 tsp. McCormick®  Ground Ginger
• ¼ tsp. McCormick®  Ground Clove
• ¼ tsp. McCormick® Ground  Nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Place butter in cast iron skillet and melt over medium heat, stirring frequently until just turning golden brown and butter “foam” subsiding.
3. Remove butter from heat and pour into ceramic or glass bowl, leaving the bottom of the cast iron skilled coated with butter.
4. In another bowl, mix together coconut sugar, coconut flour, almond meal, spices, and salt.
5. Pour these dry ingredients into melted butter and mix together with fork, this  streusel mixture will be crumbly. Set aside.
6. Place a pear half cut-side down on a cutting board. Lay chopsticks (or pencils) lengthwise along both sides of pear. Make cuts (crosswise) about 1/8 inch apart, but don't cut all the way through. The chopsticks will help prevent slicing straight through.
7. Repeat with remaining pear halves. Place pears in buttered skillet, cut side down. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
8. Bake for 30 mins at 400 F degrees.
9. Remove foil and top with streusel evenly over pears, spooning some into layers. .
10. 10. Return to oven, uncovered, for 10 more minutes and then finish up under broiler for 1 to 2 minutes (watching carefully) for more browning.
11. 11. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then serve in a bowl with ice cream, yogurt, or plain, along with the cooking liquid as a “syrup.”